| How deeply rooted are China’s economic woes? |
| By Nicholas Borst |
| China’s economy has continued to struggle in 2024, laying to rest any remaining hopes of a strong post-pandemic recovery. Instead of a rapid rebound as many analysts predicted, China’s reopening boom never materialised. It also appears that the Chinese government is not inclined to make major changes to its economic management and the high-profile Third Plenum came and went without significant reforms being announced. Read the full commentary→ |
Why the Bank of England should stop selling bonds
By John Redwood
Reductions in the Bank’s balance sheet have now trimmed the government bond portfolio down to £693bn. It is now time to consider how these losses and the drain on the exchequer can be mitigated.
Could artificial intelligence really boost labour productivity?
By Julian Jacobs and Francesco Tasin
Artificial intelligence has long been theorised as a cure for the West’s ailing productivity growth. As the McKinsey Global Institute has shown, workplace productivity growth has been stagnant for about 40 years. But the discourse on the productivity effects of AI has been almost entirely speculative.
M-pesa success shows importance of competition in payments
By Katerina Liu
Many central banks want to introduce digital currencies to shake up the payments industry, disrupting the established order and allowing new entrants to compete for payments business. Some will lobby against CBDCs in an effort to protect their interests, but policy-makers would do well to press on.
New Brics members could provide much-needed vehicle currency
By Herbert Poenisch
In January, five new members joined the Brics bloc: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iran and Ethiopia. This means that five new currencies are in the pot for payments and mutual holdings, joining those of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Too much asked of special drawing rights in tackling climate change
By Mark Sobel
Climate change is the greatest challenge facing humankind. Trillions of dollars are needed to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris agreement. Many low-income and developing countries require concessional and grant resources to play their part. But advanced economies face scarce budgetary resources.
